Chandigarh reserachers make fertilisers from hair, get patent
July 10th, 2008 - 9:52 pm ICT by IANS

Chandigarh, July 10 (IANS) A team of researchers from Chandigarh has
succeeded in converting waste pollutants like human hair and bird
feathers into organic fertilisers, and has now been granted two
separate patents for developing technologies that address the world’s
major environmental problem. The team comprises R.K. Kohli, senior
professor at department of environment and science, Panjab University
(PU), Parikshit Bansal from National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER), and Jatinder Arora of Punjab State
Council for Science and Technology.

“We applied for patents in 2004 through the Technology and Information
Forecasting Council under the ministry of science and technology and
received the confirmation in June 2008. Our findings will solve the
major global environmental pollution problems caused by mammalian hair
or bird feather and an abhorrent weed called parthenium hysterophorus
(congress grass),” Kohli told IANS.

Disposal of human hair poses a major problem since it takes several
years. If burnt, it releases toxic elements into the air, which can
cause severe allergies. When dumped into rivers, it contaminates
drinking water supplies, Kohli pointed out.

Kohli along with Bansal developed an eco-friendly technology to
convert human hair and feathers into an organic fertiliser using
earthworms.

The fertiliser is an effective, odourless, disease free, soil
fertility agent that will also enhance plant growth, Kohli added.

The two researchers along with Arora developed another technology to
solve the problem of pollution caused by congress grass.

Kohli said the new formula would convert congress grass into useful
organic manure with the help of earthworms.

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ilisers-from-hair-get-patent_10070148.html